HLJ has just added the Nia Portraits "photo" artbook to their catalog ($11 USD cheaper than PA's). The follow-up to GAINAX's previous Yoko Portraits artbook of the same variety; original GAINAX art of GL heroine Nia aswell as screen caps, character interviews, released and unreleased art, and possible other pack-ins like the glossy cards featured in Yoko's Portraits book.
More updates once it ships and I receive it within a few days.
Update: It's here
Source:[HLJ]
The second music video of GAINAX's Parallel Works Music Clip Project (GUREPARA) was released 5 days ago (4 if you live in Japan) but I finally got around to watching it 2 days ago and making this post about it today.
Animated and directed by the enigmatic SUEZEN (who also seems to have been the illustration director for The Wings of Honneamise), the video follows the Gurren Lagann BGM of "BafBaf! Do You Like Being That... Fired Up!!". A torrent for the second music video was uploaded to DAtorrents again by IZ (who seems to be following the Parallel Works MVs ) and can be found here from TT.
The video follows Viral playing a game of giant Pachinko Roulette (against a rival Pachinko Gunmen) in his Enki Gunmen and then against Kamina ([spoiler]who dies (again)[/spoiler]), Yoko, and young Simon in Gurren Lagann. Mayhem ensues.
While the story doesn't quite fit the epicness of such BGM as BafBaf!, the video as a whole is quite humorous (see: Kamina's Ashita no Joe). And when Simon takes Pachinko to the spiral level with his drill core, BafBaf!'s epicness was nearly met.
Where the first fantasy-themed MV showed what could be done with the series characters and
plot in a dynamic way, the second MV just provides some much needed lulz while having fun with the characters and BGM of GL.
Oh, and bishonen Kamina? DO NOT WANT
Source:[GUREPARA Homepage]
The Akiba-Chan Homepage updated yesterday with the inclusion of a 19 second long promotional "opening" video. The video featured short samples of the kind of "figumation" (Stop-motion with figures enhanced by CG) that the series will contain aswell as a poppy, lyrical song that may well be a clip of the series' OP. Akiba-chan airs July 24th on KIDS STATION satellite anime network with a projected 10 episodes.
I've had mixed feeling about Akiba-chan ever since I became acquainted with series and the interesting concept of "figumation" a few weeks ago. Initially, the series screams otaku; character designs by Akio Watanabe (ぽよよん☆ろっく) (whose designs are mainstay in such series with otaku demographics as the Nurse Witch Komugi OVAs), the main character's name being a derivative of the otaku mecca Akihabara, additions of such motifs as loli, ahoge, twin-tails,usa-mimi, neko-mimi, and such overall themes as anime, gaming, and how moe-designed fujoushi PVC-esque figures revolve around it all. That being said, the absence of traditional computer assisted cel animation leaves me doubting. Too much movement, somewhat ironically, makes things seem jagged, marionette-like, and plain ugly. I've often associated such an animation technique as being employed more for children's programming, and the fact the KIDS STATION is handling the broadcasting does little to quell my suspicions that Akiba-chan may not be as otaku-focused as I would like. KIDS STATION airs more than children's anime (Divergence Eve and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi both aired on it) but its hard to shake a moniker like that. I still plan on following the series and seeing how things go, especially if a group decides to pick it up. Only time will tell.
Sources:[ANN],[Akiba-Chan Homepage]
Character Name: Yoko Ritona (Teppelin Version)
Original Character Designer: Atsushi Nishigori
Sculptor: Takayuki Kondou (G-DOME)
Source Material: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (GAINAX TV Anime)
Scale: 1/7 (26 cm/10.2 inch tall)
Base: Circular, 2 inch ≈ radius, Jet Black
Neccessary Removable Parts: Black stability piece
Removable Parts/Accessories:Sniper Rifle with removable head
Castoffability: None
Materials: PVC and ABS
Packaging: Windowed Box, 2Plastic Interlocking Molds
Extras/Pack-ins: None
Release Date: May 31st, 2008 (Delayed since March 2008)
Manufacturing/Production: Enterbrain Inc.,in association with GAINAX and Aniplex
Retail Price: 7980円 ≈ $74
Current Availability: lol good luck
Related PVCs:Konami's 1/8 Yoko[HLJ], Sol International's 1/8 Yoko[HLJ]
Update(6/29):
If you're still reading this, I'll grant that you know who Yoko is and skip to the summary of the figure. The second official release we've seen of Teppelin version Yoko in PVC form aside from Konami's 1/8 scale rendition of the beatiful and buxom character of TTGL. Numerous resin kits have been, and are being, produced but announcments of Yoko PVCs are just starting to take off with Sol-Internationl's and Wave's PVCs to be released in a few months, taking the total to a ground breaking 4! The new Rei, Yoko may not be (atleast in terms of vendor releases [garage kits are another thing]). But to the review.
Sculpt:G-DOME's sculpt is probably one of the best EnterBrain could have possibly chosen to cast and mass produce. The first thing that's apparent about this figure: It's HUGE. At or near the top height range for a 1/7 scale, G-DOME's Yoko towers over Konami's release. That's not even taking into account the attachable rifle that adds some considerable distance to Yoko's height.
But aside from that, quality in the sculpt is something that really shines through. Her face is a tad less cherubic than Konami's Yoko; a little closer to Atsushi's original design and how she is portrayed in the anime. Her bust, however, was not toned down in the least. Perhaps the most wonderful ascpect of the sculpt is how Yoko's ponytail was rendered: as a huge red blob. And I love it. It looks like someone took a tube of fiery red paint in their hand and squeezed as hard as possible to produce the shape and angle of her ponytail.
There are a few lovely little details thrown in the mix aswell. The wrinkles in her panty-hose, definition of muscles and structures (like her knee through the panty-hose), camel-toe, and the little bulge of leg fat that results from some superb zettai ryouiki are all testament to G-DOME's skill as a sculptor.
Production:No major problems here. Good job Enterbrain. Some very nice definition and separation of colors highlights (color pun not intended)the key parts of the figure. The flames of Yoko's top are not mixed or ill-defined like in Konami's and the sheen of her hair is simply stunning. As with many figures, a soft-pink tops off the skin, as can be seen on Yoko's abdomen. There's a slight error on the bra line where the paint reaches onto one of her breast but most likely is unique this piece. A stability piece is included that attaches Yoko's raised foot to the base, eliminating the only imbalance of the figure. I had some trouble working it onto her foot then snapping that into the base but that has more to do with my carpal tunnel than production errors. I've tried to find something wrong with production but Enterbrain just delivers on this one.
A must have for GL fans and figure maniacs alike.
Score:5/5
A sense of Yoko's 1/7 scale. Huge windows on the
packaging makes for excellent in-box display, if you so choose.
Close up with flash to brighten things up. The lack of production error in the face and hair really make this asolid figure. Oh, and camel toe.
Alternate angle provides much needed ass aswell as Yoko's beautiful blob of a pony-tail and rifle.
A closeup of the stability piece that counterbalances Yoko.
The 10th generation release of the Queen's Blade game book series reveals that a TV anime has been green lit for production.
The two new game books featuring original 8th series characters Aldora, a supposed half-demon twilight queen (a demon queen trying to become a warrior queen?), and Arein, a millennia-old combat-trainer elf, are to be released on June 20th. The two new additions to the QB line-up are designed by ???? (Kantaka) and ??(Pine Dragon), respectively.
As a fan on the QB series myself, I shat untold numbers of brixs upon learning the news. I can only hope for the epic battles for the throne and fan service debauchery that may well ensue. Hopefully info on animation studio, director, character designer, air date, episode number, and all the other facets that could make or break the QB anime will be released soon. Expect updates.
Update(6/26):HLJ has added Arein's and Aldora's books to their catalog.
Sources:Moetron, ANN, QB Homepage
Purpose:
Welcome to Significant Figures!
I set up this blog primarily to organize thoughts, archive information,
create personal reviews, provide relevant news, establish a hub from which to centralize my online ego and refine my writing skills in pursuit of my career goals. The name is an double entendre on the mathematical term relating to digits of numbers that contribute to their accuracy or a crude means of rounding to a whole number (despite what you just read, I have a severe distaste for all mathematics). Obviously the other -and true- side of that coin refers to bishoujo figures I find significant. Now you know.
SigFigs will not only cover figures but anime, games, manga, doujinshi and other facets of Japanese modern visual (sub)culture.
Feel free to comment on any posts, send questions/comments/criticism to me at signifigs@gmail.com, and most importantly: enjoy.
About Me:
Pen name: FSF/Majokkotaku (Majota)
Nationality: American
Age:20
Blood type: A
Shoe size: 11.5 W
Quote:
"Some people say this is moe, some people say that is moe. Find your own moe and you will find happiness."
Any additional information can be acquired upon request.
Updates:
Update (7/22): How do I updated tabs with JavaScript? Have fun roll()ing.
Update (7/23): In my never ending quest to make this blog more intuitive and accessible, I've added two new buttons to each post. 'Comment' (which is just a link to the comment page, a little more protrusive then the small "# comments" hotlink) and 'Home' (just takes you back to the main page, if you weren't already there). There's a limit to what this interface will allow, but I'll have to deal with it for now. Switching to wordpress.com is not an option; WP.com is just a flashier version of blogger really, definitely no where close to open source. And I've put so much code into this address, switching now would be more than a hassle. Maybe to wordpress.org in the future. Taking this theme to a host that will allow more freedom would be ideal.
Update (7/27): Changed the main background color from the default gray to something a little more earthly. Seems to work.
Update (8/01): Domain name change! SigFigs has escaped from the blogspot moniker and is at "www.sigfigs.net", for the foreseeable future.
Update (8/02): New tabs distinct from the label buttons. More naturally placed "Home" , "About" (expect more) buttons added to the header.
Update (8/04): Added a "Back to Top" function to the page. Custom picture of Sumomo for the win.
Update (8/09): I've finally updated SigFigs with an expandable post method. After meticulous JavaScript and widget expansion, you will now be able to open and close posts, choosing which you'd like to read and which you'd like to skim over more efficiently. The site as a whole will also take up less space now, lessening the work load on your scrolling finger. It's a new dawn for SigFigs. (Note: The original code of the page was altered. Any problems or bugs you come across, please send to me via e-mail or post in comment form here. Thank you.)
Update (8/11): Added a gallery using Picasa Web Albums. So far I only have figure event photos from my collection. Willing to take requests concerning the next album addition or subject matter.
Update (8/23): Created 2 new banners. These are just pilot versions and are subject to change or removal. I plan on creating additional banners with larger resolutions in the future. Feel free to link to sigfigs.net from them.
Update (9/01): Added individual title bars to each post, for a purely aesthetic purpose. I may or may not go back and make one for each post...
Update (11/22): Quick revamp of banner and navigation buttons. Removed some page elements/gadgets and am thinking of new sections to insert in their place. Been busy with balancing school and work. 1 post per week is going to be the absolute minimum.
Update (8/17): Sigfigs.net moved to sigfigs.org. Few aesthetic renovations underway.
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